


The Break

by Sugar_n_Spyce32



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: BDSM, Bondage, M/M, Rope Bondage, Ropespace, Shibari, Turks (Compilation of FFVII)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:34:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27319318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugar_n_Spyce32/pseuds/Sugar_n_Spyce32
Summary: Rope-tying is a perfectly logical skill for a Turk to have. Call it professional development - Tseng just wants to give Rude a chance to practice. Of course, the destressing benefits are also definitely a plus.
Relationships: Rude/Tseng (Compilation of FFVII)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	The Break

It was such a long walk to get to Rude’s apartment. He’d strategically chosen something on the city’s edge, attempting to keep a low profile for the sake of his work. It made perfect sense, and Tseng couldn’t fault him for that. But damn, he wished it wasn’t such a fucking hike. It took him nearly an hour of walking to get from HQ to here.

In retrospect, it was a good opportunity for Tseng to calm down - simply the change of scenery was a good first step for the evening. It was nearly nine at night, and Tseng had been in the office working his ass off since yesterday evening. Some 18 hours now he’d spent between meetings, security detail, and paperwork. Not to mention that he was scheduled to leave for a reconnaissance mission in Junon in two days. This kind of a workload wasn’t unusual, but this week he just didn’t have the capacity to deal with it all without a little help.

That’s when he’d decided it was time to call Rude.

The air was warm, and the glow of the streetlights had a familiar atmosphere to them as Tseng traced the route through the neighborhood. He no longer needed to pull up any directions - though he wouldn’t admit it, this was starting to become routine enough that he’d memorized the way. The door was open, just as Rude said it would be, and Tseng stepped inside and let out a sigh as he let it close behind him. He heard the sounds of footsteps as Rude came down the stairs, and watched him appear slowly as he descended. In his hands, he held two hanks of natural-fiber rope.

“Hey,” Rude gave his boss a nod in greeting, “I’m just about ready. Is the living room okay for you tonight?” he asked.

“Whatever works best for you,” Tseng replied tiredly, letting his bag slip off his shoulder into his hand, “Is it alright if I change down here?”

“Of course, but just know that Reno’s been in that bathroom. I’m not taking the blame for whatever’s going on in there.”

Tseng smirked and huffed out a soft airy laugh through his nose. He stepped down the hallway to the bathroom door and flicked on the light. Rude usually tried to get Reno to organize his belongings when they were expecting guests, but with Tseng’s visit having little warning, he couldn’t complain about the room’s condition. Still, there was nowhere to set his bag down except the toilet lid - every square inch of counter space (including the toilet tank) was covered completely in Reno’s styling products, various trinkets, and even a few forgotten snacks. Lacking a place of his own, Reno lived like a stray cat by choice, and he’d made a few particular corners of Rude’s home into his little storage dens. Tseng had offered Reno his spare guest room repeatedly, but the redhead still seemed content to crash between the office couch and his partner’s place. As long as he came into work on time looking somewhat decent, Tseng just continued to let him do as he would, turning a blind eye as much as possible.

For now, Tseng just sighed and tried to tune out the mess as he unzipped his bag. He shed away the pieces of his work suit one by one, folding them and carefully arranging them on top of his bag for now. He shifted the stack to retrieve the clothes he kept stashed at work for occasions just like this one - a loose black tank top that draped over his shoulders and torso, and a pair of dark gray leggings. Tseng was not usually a leggings type of guy, but when he’d selected this outfit for its specific purpose, he’d been much less concerned with the label and more concerned with how it felt on his body. These were just right - thick enough to afford him the modesty he desired, but thin enough that he could feel the ropes against him. 

Simply putting on this outfit broke down another layer of Tseng’s stress. It always triggered that shift in his state of mind that would enable him to get what he was looking for out of his session tonight. There was no more annoyance or anger - only the sensations of now.

Tseng reached into the bag one more time and extracted a hair tie. Staring at his reflection in the dirty mirror, he pulled his hair back off his face and into a neat high ponytail. The circles under his eyes were dark with exhaustion - it would take effort not to fall asleep completely tonight. Tseng still had to go back to work when he was done here. Not a problem, though - after a good long tie-up with Rude, he often left feeling as though he’d gotten a full night’s sleep anyway. 

Tseng stepped out of the bathroom and moved out to the living room, listening to his bare feet padding on the hardwood floor until he reached the carpeted living space. The couch had been pushed aside to give them extra space, and the light gray plush flooring took center stage, complementing Tseng’s getup. Tseng watched from the wall, standing beneath a beautiful abstract painting in shades of golds and greens, waiting and watching as Rude stood in the center of the room and ran his fingers across a length of rope. He matched the two ends of the long piece and pulled it through his hands, lining it up until he had found the center. It was already marked with a small piece of electrical tape, but the confirmed position ensured Rude was ready to go. He looked over at Tseng, signaling that he was ready for him.

“Thank you for taking time on your off-hours to do this for me,” Tseng sighed. He pushed away from the wall and stretched out, pressing his hands toward the ceiling and then folding himself in half to touch his toes as he spoke, “Once this crazy week passes, we can meet to discuss compensation for this, if you like.”

“You offer that to me every time we do this,” Rude smiled and shook his head, “And every time, my answer is _no_ ,” He placed a hand on Tseng’s shoulder and guided him to sit down in the center of the room, “I do this because I enjoy it. That’s plenty compensation.”

Tseng closed his eyes and sighed. He felt Rude’s hand gently run down his bare shoulder, skin on skin, and softly tug on his arm. Tseng already knew what he wanted, and he folded his arms behind him, one over the other. Rope touched against him, and in an instant the stress of the day breathed out of him. 

“Here,” Rude gave quiet directions to Tseng as he began to drape the rope over him. The end of the rope was pulled through the center bite, and Rude always took the time to make sure the ropes were straight and flat against his boss’ form. He placed the ropes carefully, pressing his fingers into the side of Tseng’s arms to make sure he wasn’t tying over nerves or veins. He was focused, and he knew Tseng was already relaxed into it too. The image in his mind began to come together as he pulled the rope through and over and around itself.

“I heard Elena stopped by last night,” Tseng made quiet conversation, eyes still closed, “She was eager to share what you taught her. Double-column ties, if I recall correctly?”

“Ha, yeah,” Rude grinned, pulling at the rope to work it through a loop, “We did the Hishi Karada again, and she got it this time without having to review it first. I can tell she’d been practicing,”

“She’s a hard worker,” Tseng chuckled. His head lolled to the side as his body began to fall into the spacey state he was after. Rude smiled, reading the body language his boss unconsciously displayed.

“Yes she is,” Rude tied off the end of his chest harness, admiring his straight and clean handiwork, “How does that feel?”

“Mm,” Tseng hummed an affirmative answer, slowly nodding his head. Rude nodded back and reached for another length of rope, working the entire length through his hands to straighten it.

“I realized earlier that this is the first time I’ve been able to tie all three of you back to back,” he grinned, “Reno let me practice on him while we watched a movie earlier this week, and then Elena was in yesterday. And now here you are.” 

Rude placed a strong hand on either side of his boss’ shoulders and gently tilted him, laying him on his stomach and letting his chest press against the floor. Tseng turned his head and opened one eye, catching a glimpse of Rude’s smile in the warm light. In the lamp glow that Rude intentionally kept dimmed due to his light sensitivity, he was able to shed his sunglasses for the evening, and Tseng gazed into his comforting eyes. With anyone else, Tseng wouldn’t tolerate being immobilized and tugged around, but the trust he had for Rude is what enabled him to come ask for this kind of stress relief. Rude made him feel safe enough to relax completely, and this kind of catharsis was rare to find elsewhere. Tseng returned Rude’s smile, falling quickly past the point of words and into ropespace.

Rude watched his rope bunny’s eyes flutter shut again, observing as he fell under the spell of the rope on skin. Rude gently lifted Tseng’s knee, beginning a frog tie on his left leg. He wrapped the column around and around, running the soft fibers between Tseng’s thigh and calf. The long extra length of rope was wrapped decoratively around Tseng’s leg, working its way down toward his ankle. It was there that Rude stopped, pausing to pick up another rope length and begin to tie a boot on Tseng’s ankle, working his way down to his toes. 

Tseng was well and beyond everything now - stress felt like a distant memory as every muscle in his body relaxed and adjusted to whatever position Rude picked for him. He loved when Rude took his time to experiment on him - usually, Rude did some of his best and most beautiful work during these sessions, using Tseng’s endurance and patience to toy with the basics and add his own elegantly extravagant twists. 

“Okay, you ready?” Rude asked softly. Tseng hummed again, his answer obvious at this point. Gently, slowly, Rude pulled the loose rope end that trailed off the boot up toward Tseng’s head. The rope trailing from Tseng’s toes stretched his leg back and flexed his ankle. Rude placed his other hand under Tseng’s chin, slowly lifting his head off the floor. 

Tseng knew what was going on, and bowed his back so that Rude could put the next part of the tie in place. He sighed out a soft moan as he felt Rude run his hands over the ponytail. The rope wrapped around it, seamlessly attaching Tseng’s glossy black hair to the rope and securing it as Rude tucked the end of his boss’ hair bundle through the knot he’d created in the rope. It kept Tseng bowed backward, but not uncomfortably so. As he relaxed, the tie pulled his long hair deliciously.

Of course, too long in this position would be painful, and Rude still had another few steps he wanted to add. He gently pushed Tseng onto his right side, letting the tied leg support and balance his boss’ body. Without gravity working to pull Tseng’s head down, he was now able to relieve the strain on his hair and hold the position for much longer. As quiet moments passed, Rude repeated the frog tie on his partner’s other leg, and finished by arranging the loose ends of the rope on the carpet in swirling shapes.

Rude stood, surveying his work. Tseng’s breathing was quiet and even, and the ropes that decorated him were laid out in beautiful patterns. The knots were small and clean and every rope laid flat. This was art - the exact thing Rude had envisioned, spread out before him like a painting. Rude smiled, feeling the pride in his chest swell.

Tseng just felt like he was floating. He was acutely in tune with his body, but the meditative state of mind detached him from his surroundings. He appeared to be under a deep sleep, but remained wide awake, his mind simply a blank slate, knowing only the presses and pulls of the rope against him. It was always at this point in the process that he started to wish he just hadn’t worn clothes at all - he wanted to melt right into that rope and become one with it, never to leave it behind again. 

But, of course, all good things must come to an end. Though the position Tseng was in kept the rope from pulling too hard at his hair, it did still pull, and Tseng’s sharpened bodily sense detected the first signs of a headache beginning to form. His expression shifted and he wriggled just slightly, finding the resolve to communicate his needs. 

Rude already knew that Tseng was starting to grow uncomfortable. He stepped back over and knelt at his boss’ back.

“Time to get out?” he asked. Tseng simply sighed out another affirmative sound, his brow furrowing. So much for becoming one with the rope - he was going to have to let it go, regardless of what his soul wanted. His body needed out soon, or he’d be suffering through the last few work hours with a headache.

Rude knew to undo the hair tie first, carefully working to prevent snags and snarls as he reversed his hard work. He allowed Tseng to pull his leg up to his chest, relaxing the bend in his back before they continued. Tseng continued to breathe deeply. On many of Rude’s other rope bunnies, taking the ropes off was the most fun part - they’d squeal or laugh or even moan at the sensations of rope sliding over skin, but Tseng reacted differently. He just continued to take deep breaths. In Tseng’s mind, it was a silent transfer - as the rope left his body, so did all the stress he’d walked in with. He felt Rude tilt him around as the ropes were shed, and eventually his rigger sat him up to remove the arm harness. Tseng’s arms dropped limply to his sides as the ropes fell away, and for the first time in nearly half an hour, he very slowly opened his eyes, readjusting to the room’s dim light.

“There we go,” Rude wound the last hank of rope over his arm, tying it off and tossing it onto the couch, “I’ll grab us some water,” He stepped over to the kitchen, and Tseng heard the sink begin to flow.

Slowly, Tseng returned to consciousness. He stretched his limbs out and slowly found the strength to stand. He didn’t want to have to go back to work now, but the rope had done what it needed to - it relieved him from the stress of existing for a while. 

Rude returned to the living room with two glasses of ice water, handing one off to Tseng and taking a long drink from the one he kept. Tying wasn’t much of a workout, but it still required some movement, and Rude had worked up a sweat from all the focus and shifting into different positions for optimal angles. Tseng, on the other hand, sipped politely at his beverage, not particularly thirsty at the moment but knowing that he needed to give his body some replenishment to recover properly. He’d snapped at Reno more than once for rejecting water after scenes, and he wasn’t about to catch himself acting a hypocrite. 

“Thank you for that,” Tseng said, back to a typically businesslike tone, “I really needed the break tonight. Really, let’s meet next week to discuss -”

“Tseng,” Rude cut him off with a sharp look. He left it at that, reminding Tseng with his eyes about what had been said earlier. Instead, he took another drink and looked back to the kitchen.

“Do you need anything else before you head out?” Rude asked, “Any snacks for the road? I know it’s a hell of a walk to get here.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine, thank you,” Tseng stepped over to the counter and put the glass down, “Though speaking of, I suppose I ought to change and get back. My break should be over by now - there’s still several things I need to do before I can clock out for the evening.”

Rude patted him on the back.

“Go easy on yourself,” he reminded him, “Pay attention to your needs.”

Tseng raised his brow at Rude and grinned, knowing that as sensible as that advice was, they were both aware that Tseng knew it already. Though just because he knew it didn’t mean he always followed it. Rude returned the smirk, and Tseng turned back to the bathroom. 

As he removed his hair tie and slowly pulled his suit back on, piece by piece, he tried to hold onto the deep breathing and peaceful feeling he’d basked in earlier. These breaks in existence always left Tseng feeling recharged, and even though he still wasn’t excited to return to work, he had to admit that he was almost looking forward to the long walk back.

**Author's Note:**

> My second fic! Just some fluffy, ropespace-y goodness.
> 
> Also, please do NOT use this fic as a guide to shibari, tying safety, or bondage in any way. I know a bit about shibari, but I have no idea if this tie is something that could actually be physically feasible IRL. Please do your own research before engaging in shibari or bondage.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! If you do, a kudo or comment is always so very appreciated! <3


End file.
